Parliament proposes bill to form syndicate for archeologists

CAIRO – 7 May 2017: The House of Representatives is considering a new bill to establish the first-ever syndicate for Egyptian archeologists.

The new bill mandates the prime minister to establish a temporary 17-member committee that will be tasked with the creation of the new syndicate within six months.

Upon the formation of the syndicate, a board of directors will be elected for a four-year term; the board may be re-elected for only a second term, according to the bill.
The 17 members of the temporary committee will not be eligible for nomination in the board of directors during the first election round.

As per the draft law, a fund for pensions and allowances will be formed. The body authorized to protect the antiquities (General Administration of Tourism & Antiquities Police) shall notify the syndicate if any archeologist was disciplinarily punished over a wok-related crime. The new law serves around 70,000 archeologists.